Guiding a hand held circular power saw when cutting sheets of plywood, trimming doors and similar tasks to accomplish a smooth accurate cut can be a daunting task for several reasons. First, it is difficult accurately guide a circular saw by hand when making a long cut, such as across a typical 4′×8′ sheet of plywood. Second, the saw housing overlies the blade making it virtually impossible to view the blade as the cut is made. While circular saws typically include a sight guide or notch which can be aligned with a cut line scribed with a pencil or chalk line, the sight guide does not actually guide the saw, but rather simply gives the operator an indication of the blade position relative to the cut line. Further compounding the problem is that circular saws made by different manufacturers may have different configurations. Similar problems are encountered when using hand routers.
Another guide for a circular saw is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,029 to Ketch, issued Dec. 5, 1995 comprises a guide bar having a straight outer edge configured for guiding a peripheral guide surface of the saw housing, a gauge bar having a straight outer edge, and a hinge pivotally connecting the gauge bar to the guide bar. The gauge bar of this device is effective but large, making the device more expensive to fabricate. Saw guides are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,077, issued Oct. 18, 1977, entitled “Guide For Hand Held Power Saws,” U.S. Pat. No. 2,926,706, issued on Mar. 1, 1960, entitled “Cross-Cut and Rip Guide Device for Portable Power Saws,” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,159, issued on Dec. 21, 1993, entitled “Circular Saw Guide.” These devices require the guide to be aligned in a spaced relation to the contemplated cut to allow for the distance between the saw and the edge of the flange on the saw.